Snowflake
by Flock o' Seagulls
Summary: Link, deeply scarred by a devastating loss, has closed his heart to the ideas of love and Valentine's Day. Can a certain "Cupid" stop him from giving up on love altogether? LinkxPit. Mentioned RoyxLink and MarthxLink. YAOI


_**Warning**_**: Yaoi (boyxboy) material ahead! If you hate yaoi, turn back now!**

**SUMMARY: Link, deeply scarred by a devastating loss, has closed his heart to the ideas of love and Valentine's Day. Can a certain "Cupid" stop him from giving up on love altogether? LinkxPit. Mentioned RoyxLink and MarthxLink. YAOI**

** All right! After several months of contemplation, I've finally finished up my first serious love fic! Granted, it's a few days late for the holiday it was written about, but hey, if there can be Christmas decorations out in February, there can be a Valentine's day fanfic posted on February 17th. I originally had the first fourth of this story posted and was gonna add more as it came to me, but then I decided "Eh, what the hell. Let's make this a huge one-shot." Sorry it's not as good as it could be, especially if Hokage-chan was writing it. She's the master of sexy yaoi fanfiction. I, meanwhile, am not good with romance. Gore is my thing. So is being a total pervert, as you shall soon see. Oh, and I don't own anything but this idea. Not Smash Bros., not the **_**Encyclopaedia Britannica**_**, not the gift that is given at the end of the story, nothin'. Now, on with the fic!**

_**Snowflakes**_

_**Valentine's Day-2009**_

Link knew before he even opened his eyes that his least favorite holiday was rearing its ugly head again. It was an evil holiday, created by certain evil companies for the sole purpose of raising their sales on candies and dumb little cards. He absolutely hated it, seeing his friends waste their valuable savings to buy into this useless holiday. Why need a holiday as an excuse to celebrate love, anyways? Wasn't love supposed to be eternal, omnipresent, even? Couldn't saying "I love you" and kissing be enough proof that their love was real? Without fail, every year, Link questioned why people fell for this stupid ploy, and every year, he was eventually forced to remember why he hated Valentine's Day with such passion.

He, too, had been conned into celebrating his least favorite holiday. It was only twice, and it had been five years since then, but the more he dwelled on it, the more he remembered. Holding hands in the Fountain of Dreams as they star-gazed, giving candies, receiving roses, getting engaged, people screaming in terror, ambulance sirens screeching up to the stadium...

The last memory shocked Link awake, and in an instant he'd crossed his room, entered the adjacent bathroom, and pulled open the medicine cabinet to reveal its sole occupant: a small bottle of prescription pills. Shakily, Link opened the bottle, pulling out two pills and popping them into his mouth before he slid to the floor and waited for them to take effect. He pulled his knees up against his chest and rested his forehead against them, unable to fight off his tears or the familiar dark thoughts that made him shiver in his desire to just end it all and be done with these terrible feelings. He hated himself for being so weak that he had to keep relying on medicine whenever he had one of his "flashbacks," as his doctors liked to call them, but he clearly remembered now how he'd been without it: an even weaker, suicidal wreck.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes, the pills kicked in and all of Link's pain was pushed, once again, into the dark reaches of his unconscious mind. In that instant, both the tears and the tremors stopped, and as usual, Link felt the sedative set in as he got to his feet, staggering back to his bed and flopping down on top of the covers. He dared a glance at the clock to find that it was only four in the morning, and he was sincerely grateful that it was Saturday and that the Smashers had the day off from tournaments as he fell into a medically induced, dreamless sleep.

_**Two hours later, in another part of the mansion...**_

Whereas several Smashers hated Valentine's Day and everything it stood for, one of the newest additions to the roster had been so excited to see his current favorite holiday that he hadn't been able to sleep. Pit, the happy-go-lucky angel with a can-do attitude, was that someone. Maybe it was being called "Cupid" a few too many times, but Pit was absolutely ecstatic to finally experience Valentine's Day. Then again, it could just be because Peach had started planning for a Valentine's Day celebration the moment Christmas had ended, and that she was, in fact, using Pit to give the Smashers the various valentines from each other and their fans.

For now, however, Peach and Pit were busy with the final preparation of their plan-tying each Smasher's pile of letters together with bright red ribbon and sorting them to match the route Peach had chosen. There were a ton more letters than Pit had imagined, and he was surprised that Peach wasn't more worried about the fact that they'd already missed their original six a.m. deadline than she seemed. On the other hand, looking at the stacks of letters, Pit questioned if he would even be able to move with all of that paper weighing him down; forget getting the letters sorted and delivered on time...

"Something on your mind?" Peach asked innocently, though it was enough to scare Pit back into reality and cause him to scatter several of the letters all over the floor. The angel quickly panicked over this sudden loss of valuable time as he scurried to his knees to collect the letters and get them sorted back into their piles. He felt even worse when he heard Peach sigh.

"Um...I-I'm sorry," Pit muttered as he got back on his feet, placing the letters in their piles and tying them together before he could make any more stupid blunders.

"No, no, it's fine..." Pit glanced at her, and he finally realized that she wasn't paying attention to him at all. She was staring at a letter addressed to Link. Unlike most of the other letters, this one wasn't done up in a pink or red envelope for Valentine's Day; rather, it was in a simple white envelope. Pit tried to glance over her shoulder to see who'd sent it, but Peach quickly pulled it away from Pit's prying eyes, placed a sticker with Link's name on it like everyone else's valentines, and placed it in the spot for Link instead of the large stack of valentines sent to him. Pit was confused, but what startled him was the way that Peach lifted the valentines for Link off of their work station and tossed them into a trash can before she turned to Pit, a scary, sincerely pleased smile on her face as she said brightly, "Okay, back to work!" Peach returned to sorting the other letters, and Pit, unable to think up a good way to ask what that was about, went back to wrapping the stacks of valentines together with ribbon.

After a few more minutes of work, it was finally time to put the letters into the bag Peach had selected for Pit-a giant, pink mail satchel with a large heart stitched on it that she'd modified from one of her Toads' old postal service bags. Pit was impressed when he was saw that all of the letters fit perfectly- no doubt the work of some Mushroom Kingdom magic.

Once all of the letters were put away, Pit went into Peach's bathroom to change into his light red/pink toga, and Peach turned her attention back to the valentines to Link that she'd thrown away. Sure, it was his wish that any valentines to him be thrown out, but that didn't stop her from feeling guilty. Who knew how long some of those eccentric Link fangirls had spent creating the perfect love letter for their hero, or the care some of the veteran Smashers could have put into sending Link their best wishes to help him out of the rut he was in, not to mention all of the new Smashers who had no clue what had happened five years ago. Smashers like Pit...

Speak of the devil-or rather angel-Peach heard a scream of horror come from the bathroom, and she couldn't help the catlike grin that spread across her face as she heard the bathroom door slam against the wall as a very pissed off Pit came storming out, dressed in his near pink toga...that had quite obviously been cut short so that it stopped just above his groin. Granted, he was wearing shorts underneath, but they were far too tight to be shown off like that without eliciting some majorly perverted reactions from some of the more horny Smashers. In fact, it looked like someone had intentionally shrunk them in the dryer for just such a purpose. Someone like Princess Toadstool Peach, who, upon seeing Pit's sexy new look, said, "Ooh, Pitto-chan, I didn't know angels were allowed to wear sexy lingerie like that..."

Pit's face went bright red, his hands trying to hide what his shorts showed off, as he huffed out, "What...the hell...did you do?"

"What's it look like I did? I shrunk your shorts and cut your toga short to show them off."

"I can see that! What I'm asking is why you would vandalize my clothes like this?"

"Why? That's a silly question. I did it because it's Valentine's Day, and what man in his right mind wouldn't want to wake up to eye candy like you delivering his mail? You're like the hot pizza boy in a porno, and they're the slutty housewife who's only means of payment are to get you to come in and-"

"No thank you! For one thing, I'm not into other guys, okay? You can have all the sick 'yowwie' or whatever you call it fantasies that you want about me, but I'm not gay! For another thing, Palutena will strike me down if she finds out I'm wearing this! She has a strict policy about angels who dress like sluts! I could lose my wings for this!" Pit walked past Peach toward the door, yelling back, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my room to change. Then, if I still feel like it, I'll deliver the letters for you!"

Pit reached for the doorknob, but Peach jumped in the way, spreading her arms out to bar Pit's path. "There's no time for that! If we wait any longer, the early birds will get up and the plan will be ruined. We have to beat them to the punch and make them wake up to a little Valentine's cheer. We have to, Pitto-chan! The fate of the world rests in our delicate hands!"

"Did you ever stop to consider that some people might not want a little Valentine's cheer?"

"Puh-leaze!" Peach rolled her eyes, "Everyone wants Valentine's cheer! Even Ganondorf likes the wake up call...Or maybe that was Easter when Zel-chan dressed up like a bunny and gave everyone a chocolate egg. Hmm... Either way, you get your cute little butt out there and spread some joy or Palutena stripping your wings will be nothing compared to the hell I'll put you through until the next tournament starts. Now, get to it!" Peach glared at Pit so intensely that he was sure she was trying to catch him on fire with her gaze. The angel was genuinely scared for his life.

"Yes, ma'am!" Pit shouted, running back to grab the mail bag (which was also much lighter than Pit had anticipated) before he ran out the door and down the hall toward the stairs.

Peach watched him go, smiling all the while as she whispered to herself, "Poor kid's gonna get raped in that getup."

_** Meanwhile, on the Third Floor...**_

An ear-splitting scream rang throughout the mansion, and the veteran Smashers knew instinctively that Peach had suckered Pit into dressing up like a sexy Cupid to deliver valentines and that he was, more likely than not, being molested for it. Mario, in particular, sighed in frustration as he heard giggling and loud cries of "Happy Valentine's Day!" before there was yet another ear-splitting scream as whichever Smasher Pit was visiting squealed like a fangirl and glomped the angel before he delivered their valentines and went on to the next Smasher's room where the cycle repeated itself. It was a little creepy, the kinds of things his girlfriend would do just to spread the joy of a holiday, but it was even creepier to know that the majority of the Smashers were male, yet almost every time Pit went into a room, that feminine squeal rang out when its occupant saw him. How his strange luck had led him to gather almost every gay/bisexual hero in the world under one roof was a mystery science would never solve. He was sure Peach was behind it somehow, though...

He heard another door close as Pit skipped-yes, _skipped_-down the hallway toward his room, and Mario felt his heart stop as he recognized Pit's pattern. The next Smasher who would meet Pit's super chipper wake up call was...

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Pit yelled, oblivious to the danger he was now in as he opened the door to Link's room. Mario was ready to get up and help in case Link snapped, but he realized, when there was no immediate outburst against the angel, that Link had already taken his paroxetine and that he was probably sedated enough that he wouldn't pose a danger to the angel or, more importantly, himself. Even so, Mario stayed on high alert as he heard the angel close the door, obviously alarmed that he wasn't receiving a response, and walk over to the medicated Hylian.

_** In Link's Room...**_

"Link?" Pit took a step closer, his anxiety getting worse the longer he didn't get a response. He monitored Link closely, until finally, he could visibly see signs that Link was breathing. Pit let out a shaky breath that he wasn't aware he'd been holding, but, rather than wonder why he'd been so worried about Link's well-being, the angel took one last step closer to his friend, reached out, and shook his shoulder to wake him.

Further relief met the angel as Link slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times against the dim light coming in through the window, but this relief was quickly dashed as he got a good look at Link's face. His eyes were puffy like he'd been crying recently, and his skin was unnaturally pale for someone who spent so much time outside, even if it was the dead of winter. There was also something about Link's eyes that gave Pit the impression that he wasn't completely with him yet, like part of him was debating whether or not he really wanted to stay awake or go back to sleep. It was a scary side of Link that Pit had never seen before.

Luckily, however, it seemed that Link was further returned to reality than he appeared as he looked Pit over before finally muttering, "What the hell are you wearing?"

"And a 'Good morning' to you, too, sunshine," Pit answered with a smile. "If you must know, I'm playing the role of Cupid for this most glorious of days: Saint Valen-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there, angel boy. There's nothing 'glorious' about Valentine's Day," Link cut in, pushing the blankets off of him as he slowly sat up. He closed his eyes against the sudden head rush for a few seconds, which was exactly how long it took for a blush to spread across Pit's face. Well, _someone_ liked sleeping in the nude...and he definitely had the physique to look good doing it. Finally, Link opened his eyes again, and Pit prayed there wasn't nearly enough light for Link to notice his blush the way Pit was noticing certain things about Link...like how big his- "Do you even know the real meaning behind Valentine's Day?" Link asked crossly, pulling Pit from his examination.

"O-Of course I do! Valentine's Day was founded to celebrate the good Saint Valentine and to exchange valentines!"

"Wrong, Pit. Very, very wrong," Link got to his feet, startling Pit greatly as he walked up to the angel and stopped so they were only inches apart (in several different ways), eye level, one of them dressed like an angelic hooker while the other wasn't dressed at all, before Link leaned over and whispered in Pit's ear, "Between you and me, Valentine's Day is actually a celebration of the sexual activities of Romans or birds."

Pit went an even darker shade of red, shoving Link away from him as he screamed, "What? That's a lie! Princess Peach told me it was a day to celebrate the saints and exchange tokens of love!"

"Tell you what, Pit. Why don't you look up Valentine's Day in an encyclopedia? Then, if you're still up for it, I'll argue with you until the sun goes down."

_'What kind of arguing do you have in mind?' _Pit thought briefly, which made him blush worse before he answered, "You're a real ass, Link! It's no wonder why Peach threw away all of your valentines. She knew you don't deserve any because you're a jerk!" Link just smirked, which further irritated Pit as he reached into his mail satchel and pulled out the letter addressed to Link, handing it to the Hylian as he spun around to leave. "I hope it's news that you're going to die!" Pit yelled back as he opened the door, stormed out, and slammed it shut behind him, making the pictures on the walls shudder as the angel stormed down the hallway to finish his task. It mildly irritated Link that Pit seemed to have instantly recovered from their fight as he got to Mario's room, crying out in the same chipper tone he'd used before, "Happy _Saint _Valentine's Day!" the emphasis on the "Saint" not lost on the Hylian. That made him grin again; Pit could be such a kid sometimes. Link wondered if he was even aware that he was going to be greeting people with a very obvious hard-on showing through his shorts for the rest of his rounds...

Turning his attention to the letter, Link walked over to his bed and flipped on the light, his heart freezing in his chest as he saw who it was from. The same memories he'd forced out earlier came back with reinforcements as Link tore open the envelope, pulled out the letter, and shakily held it up to the light as he read it. He read it twice more, wishing this was just some awful prank, but knowing it wasn't.

Pit had wished that Link was receiving news that he was dying.

Link was wishing now that he could be so lucky.

_** Ten Minutes Later, In Peach's Room...**_

Peach was startled out of a well-deserved nap as Pit stormed into the room, slamming the door behind him as he made his way over to the bookshelf, apparently in no mood for pleasantries as he skimmed the titles and finally found what he was looking for: the _Encyclopaedia Britannica_. The angel sat down at his work station of the table and flipped through the pages rapidly until he finally found what he was looking for, and the next thing to meet Peach's ears was an earth-shattering cry of, "Dammit! I hate you, Link!" before the angel slumped over the encyclopedia, crying hysterically into his arms and repeatedly muttering "I hate you". Out of fear for her precious book, Peach pulled it out from under the upset angel, flipping it around to see what had Pit so upset:

_ "St. Valentine's Day as a lovers' festival and the modern tradition of sending valentine cards have no relation to the saints, but, rather, seem to be connected either with the Roman fertility festival of the Lupercalia or with the mating season of birds."_

"Oh, boy...Link told you the true meaning of Valentine's Day, didn't he?" Peach asked, to which Pit lifted his head off of the desk and glared at her, big tears rolling down his cheeks.

"You mean you knew this whole time? I stood by the story you told me, thinking Link was just full of it...and it turns out you were lying to me?"

"Well...I didn't really lie to you...the holiday does get its name from Saint Valentine..."

"But Link knew the whole story! He was so smug when he said it, and he wasn't even-" Pit cut himself off, starting to blush again as he remembered every detail of Link's nearly flawless body.

Peach quirked an eyebrow at the angel, "Wasn't even what, Pitto-chan?"

"Uh...It's nothing...really..."

"Come on, you can tell me. I won't tell a soul. Promise."

"Well..." Pit blushed further, refusing to look Peach in the eyes as he muttered, "Link wasn't...um...wearing..."

"Pants? _Ugh_, is he doing that again? I swear, if I have to see him parade around in his underwear again, I'm gonna freaking kill him..."

"Well, yes...but...also no..."

Peach's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and Pit knew she'd caught on, "He was naked?" Peach collapsed onto her bed, holding her forehead in astonishment, "Whoa...Hot mental image coming on...Really, _really_ hot...Whew..." Peach started fanning herself with her hand, glancing over at Pit and smirking as she caught sight of something rather interesting about the angel before she turned away and continued, "Well, don't feel bad, Pit. I'm sure he was sedated enough that he'll barely remember what happened... Your secret's safe with me."

"I'm...sorry?" Peach giggled, walking over to Pit and pointing rather suggestively at his super tight shorts. When Pit followed her finger, he found himself met with a rather disturbing sight. Pit hadn't realized that he'd gotten an erection from seeing Link naked, but he was seeing plenty of evidence now. The angel turned a bright red-the brightest shade so far that day-before he slumped over the desk again, crying even more hysterically than before and continuing to damn Link for his existence.

Poor Pit. Only he could suffer so much humiliation before seven in the morning.

_**Eight hours later...**_

__Once the valentines had been delivered and Pit had managed to calm down a little from his hysterics, it was time to implement part two of Peach's plan to spread some joy to the Smashers: the Valentine's Day Dance. The princess's plan was to convert the dining hall into a dance floor of love, so to speak, with the hundreds upon hundreds of decorations that she'd ordered since the beginning of the year for this single evening. If it had been just the princess and Pit decorating, they wouldn't have stood a snowball's chance in hell of finishing the decorating before the party, especially since the cooks had demanded that the dining hall remain as such until dinner was finished at two in the afternoon; however, Peach had managed to convince some of the others to join them as they worked to "beautify" the dining hall, so by three o' clock, Pit, Peach, Marth, Mario, Luigi, Samus, Kirby, Captain Falcon, and Zelda had already converted half of the dining hall into a dance floor of love, and by the looks of things, it wouldn't be much longer before they were done. Everyone was pleased with the fantastic work they'd accomplished in such a short amount of time, but there was one Smasher among them who couldn't be completely pulled from the guilty thoughts filling his head. Thoughts of a certain Hylian who'd royally pissed him off earlier.

_'"You're_ _a real ass, Link! It's no wonder why Peach threw away all of your valentines. She knew you don't deserve any because you're a jerk!" Link just smirked, which further irritated Pit as he reached into his mail satchel and pulled out the letter addressed to Link, handing it to the Hylian as he spun around to leave. "I hope it's news that you're going to die!"'_ Now that Pit had gotten some time to relax and clear his head, he realized just how insensitive he'd been. Sure, he'd said all that to intentionally hurt Link's feelings after Link had humiliated him, but now that he'd had plenty of time to go over that conversation in his head, he'd recognized just how hurtful he'd been. No one deserved to get nothing for Valentine's Day, and they definitely didn't deserve to _hear_ that they deserved nothing. After all, who was Pit to decide whether someone was "nice" enough to get a gift? This wasn't Christmas, and Pit was no Santa Claus. Of course, telling Link that he was an ass who didn't deserve any valentines was nothing compared to wishing that he would die. After all, for all he knew, that really could have been a letter containing the results of a blood test that would determine whether Link could look forward to a long, happy life or if he was doomed to die before his thirtieth birthday. Pit had never felt like a bigger jerk before in his entire life...

Unbeknownst to Pit, Peach had noticed that he was again lost in thought, and coming up behind him, she set off a near perfect recreation of the events of that morning as she whispered sweetly, "Something on your mind?" Just like earlier, Pit jumped, dropping, this time, a string of very fragile heart shaped lights, which shattered instantly on impact. This time, however, with nothing to distract her, Peach just giggled. "Not the most coordinated angel out there, are you, Pitto-chan?"

Pit blushed, running off to get a broom and a dustpan to clean up the mess. When he got back, he muttered softly as he swept up the debris, "I'm sorry. However much you paid for these, I'll pay you back double, I promise."

Peach smiled, helping Pit stand back up, before she scoffed, "You _do_ realize I'm the monarch of a kingdom loaded with money, right? How about instead of paying me, you just answer my question."

"What's on my mind?" Pit sighed sadly, grabbing another string of lights to untangle to help keep his mind preoccupied with something else as he talked. "Link is, actually."

"Ooh...Is it because of the-"

"No, it is not because of that!" Pit yelled to cut Peach off before she could bring up the incident involving Pit and his anatomy. The others stopped working to stare at them for a moment until Peach glared back and they hurried back to work. Once Pit was sure they weren't listening, he continued in a whisper, "When I delivered that letter to him and we started arguing over the true meaning of Valentine's Day, I got really flustered and told him he was an ass who didn't deserve to get any valentines. Then...I told him I hoped the letter said he was going to die," Pit saw Peach's mouth drop open, and he quickly tried to defend himself, "I know it was stupid and I have no clue what I was thinking when I said that. I feel horrible now. Do you have any idea how I can apologize to him?"

"Pit..." Peach sighed, turning away for a moment, obviously upset with the angel. "You _need_ to apologize to him, now."

"I know. I'm an insensitive jerk."

"No, it's not that..." Peach turned back to the angel, tears in her eyes as she took his hands in hers, causing him to drop the new string of lights as she lead him further away from the others before she finally explained, "Sweetie, there's something you need to know about Link. He seems snarky and obnoxious, but he only acts that way to protect his heart. I can't give you all of the details, but someone Link cared about was killed in the tournament five years ago today. It really hurt Link. He had to...leave us for a while to deal with his problems. When he came back, he was the way he is now. He's rude to people to protect his heart from another betrayal like that. Valentine's Day reminds him of his loss, so he asked me to throw out any valentines for him to help him forget."

"I'm sorry," Pit cut in, staring down at his feet, "I'm really sorry. I had no idea."

"I know. Most people don't. At least, no one outside of this mansion or the hospital that dealt with the case knows."

"So, how do I make it up to him?"

"Go apologize to him. Tell him you didn't mean to say what you did, and beg him for forgiveness. Just don't let him know that you know what happened. I already told you more than I should have."

"Right now? What about-"

"Pit, I have more than enough people on hand to help with the decorations. Go."

The angel smiled, bowing politely to the princess and muttering "Thanks, Peach," before he ran out of the dining hall and up the two flights of stairs to the third floor. He strode quickly down the hallway until he found Link's room, holding out his hand to knock on the door before realization struck him cold. How exactly was he going to go about apologizing? Surely, he couldn't just say "Hey, Link, I'm sorry about earlier. I realize now that I was an insensitive jerk, and I would really like it if we could be friends." That would be both suspicious and really creepy. Then again, it would be even more suspicious if he just came right out and glomped the poor Hylian, crying "I'm so sorry, Rinku-san! To think you've felt so hurt by the real Cupid that you've closed your heart to love forever! If only I'd known before!" And the creepiness could be turned way up if he said, "So, Link, earlier today when I saw you naked, I had this raging hard-on and I had to masturbate in the shower for nearly five minutes before it went down. Yeah. Hot, right?"

While Pit pondered what to say so that it _wouldn't_ be creepy and suspicious, the door swung open and the fair haired Hylian himself walked out, dressed up in tight blue jeans, white sneakers, a dark green shirt, and a black coat, messing with something in his coat pocket and just barely noticing the angel frozen in front of him as they stood, once again, only a few inches apart. The angel got a good look at Link's face, and even though he wasn't an expert at reading expressions, he could tell that Link was troubled about something. The Hylian was the first one to break eye contact, brushing past the angel and hurrying down the stairs without a second thought.

The angel gave chase without a second to lose, quickly catching up to Link just as he exited the building. The Hylian glanced over his shoulder as he finally noticed that he was being followed, and in an agitated tone, he said hurriedly, "Look, angel boy. I'm flattered that you're so hung up on proving me wrong that you've taken to stalking me, but I'm really not in the mood right now to argue with you."

"I'm not here to argue. I just want to apologize for-"

"Okay. Apology accepted. Now go away," Link picked up speed, and the angel had to struggle to keep up.

"Just where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"I don't see how that's any of your damn business."

"Humor me for a moment."

Link rolled his eyes, but for the sake of getting rid of the pest hovering around him, he finally said, "Fine. If you must know, I'm going to the hospital."

"The hospital?" _'Oh dear Goddesses...Please tell me this isn't somehow my fault.'_ "On foot?"

"Well, I don't exactly have a _car_, now do I?"

"But that's five miles from here..."

"Yeah, and like I said, I can't exactly drive there."

"But _walking_? In _winter_? Can't this wait?"

"It's an emergency. Now go away," Link was running now to avoid the angel, who was absolutely panicking as he thought about the idea of Link going to the hospital for an emergency.

"You know I could just...fly you there."

"You can barely keep up with me as it is on foot."

"I fly faster than I run, stupid," Pit saw momentary hurt flash across Link's profile, and remembering Peach's story, he added quickly, "Look, if you're going to the hospital, then there's obviously something wrong. If I fly us there, it'll save you time and energy, which, considering you're going to the hospital, I assume you need. Oh, and by the way, I'm not leaving you alone until you say yes."

Link glared at the angel for several seconds, obviously pissed off, before he stopped running, head bowed in defeat. "Fine. You win. But when we get there, you're not following me any further than the lobby. Got it?" Pit nodded, just grateful that Link was finally being cooperative as he walked over to the other boy and, after a quick moment deciding which way to hold him would best ensure that he wouldn't hurt Link or risk dropping him, grabbed the Hylians' wrists, hoisting them both up into the air before Pit took off toward the hospital, Link's added weight barely slowing the angel down as they quickly coasted above the city. Pit expected Link would want silence the whole "ride" there, so he was pleasantly surprised when the hero said, after a few minutes, "I'm not going to the hospital for myself. I have a friend there who's been in a coma for a long time. His family decided today that they're finally going to pull the plug on his life support. That's what that letter said."

Pit felt like he should say something in response when he noticed the hint of sadness in the hero's voice, but he only nodded in understanding, squeezing the hero's wrists gently for reassurance. It vaguely occured to him that Peach had specifically said that Link had closed his heart from others, yet he was going to the hospital to say his final good-byes to a dying friend. It was strange and more than just a little suspicious, but Pit figured he should keep those thoughts to himself as the hospital complex finally came into view. The angel drifted closer to the ground as they approached the main entrance, and when Link was danging only a couple of inches off of the ground, he folded his wings in and they both gently dropped to the concrete.

Muttering a quick "Thanks" over his shoulder, Link ran inside and up to the reception desk, and when Pit followed, he realized that Link was nervously drumming his fingers on the desk as he waited for the receptionist to finish up with a patient filling out her insurance form.

Finally, after several minutes of waiting, the receptionist turned to Link, smiling brightly as she said: "Hello, sir. Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, could you tell me where Roy Pherae's room is, please?"

"Roy Pherae? One moment, please," The receptionist typed something into her computer, and after a few clicks of the mouse, she finally said, "Mr. Pherae is in Room five eighteen on the fifth floor, sir."

"Thank you," Link pushed himself away from the desk, leaving Pit high and dry as he quickly strode to the elevator. The angel knew he'd been ordered to wait in the lobby, but he was dying to know who this friend was that had Link so frazzled over his imminent death. He waited until he saw the elevator doors close before he bolted for the stairs, using his wings to save him the trouble of walking as he quickly glided up to the fifth floor. However, he waited a few moments to make sure that Link wouldn't see him before he went to find the room that this "Roy" was staying in, and, upon finding his room, he carefully peeked in, finding Link, an older man with red hair and bright blue eyes, and a younger man with dark red hair lying in a hospital bed.

Roy.

Pit's breath hitched as he saw Link's friend. He knew him from an old picture from the Melee tournament that was hanging in the trophy case in the foyer. He'd been standing between Marth and Link, his arm around Link's shoulder, a carefree smile gracing his lively, handsome face. Under the picture was a first place trophy and the words _"Roy; First Place; Super Smash Bros. Melee; Holds The Record For Being The First Fighter To Defeat The Final Event Match." _Of course. How hadn't Pit made the connection earlier? Roy had been a Smasher, though, looking at him now, it was hard to recognize him from the photo. He was gaunt and pale, with tubes connected to various parts of his body. It was so sad, seeing what had happened to such a revered fighter...

"You have to understand, Link. I don't want to do this anymore than you do, but you know what the doctors said. Even if he did wake up someday, his condition is severe enough that he'd probably die within a week."

Pit jumped slightly, having forgotten about Link and the mysterious man-Roy's father, no doubt.

"I know that, but...You could have at least asked for my opinion first instead of springing a letter on me saying 'Oh, hey, Link. I know we haven't talked in five years, but I wanted to let you know I'm killing Roy later today. Come by later to say good-bye.' That was such a nice surprise."

"There was no opinion to ask for. Roy's condition has gotten _worse_ over the years. Even if we left him on life support, he would eventually die. If not sometime this year, then sometime next year, or sometime within the next decade. Did you really want to get a letter saying that Roy had died without you there to send him off with your blessings? Who knows how much he's actually suffering, cooped up inside his own mind, stuck that way for who knows how long? It's better to let him go than to force him to keep suffering for our selfish needs."

"You mean kill him."

"Oh, don't start that bullshit!" Roy's father rolled his eyes, his voice booming angrily through the room. "I hardly think _you_ have the right to decide where medicine ends and murder begins! As I recall, you were locked up in a mental institute for trying to kill _yourself_, so as far as any _sane _person can tell, you don't place _any_ value on human life!" Link cast his eyes to the floor, and Roy's father, quickly realizing what he'd said, put his hands on Link's shoulders, squeezing them gently. "I'm sorry. That was out of line. It's just...I'm so..."

"Stressed out?" Link cut in, not lifting his eyes.

"Yes. I want him to live as much as you do, but the way his health is now, he'd never make it. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I understand," Link muttered, glancing over at Roy. "Do you mind if I give him my final good-byes in private?"

"Of course not. I'm sure you've got things to clear up with him that these old ears never want to hear," Roy's father pulled Link in for a hug, both of them looking surprisingly peaceful for the way they'd just been arguing. "I'm sorry, Link, for all the bad blood I created between us. Without Roy, there won't be a reason for us to force ourselves to see each other again. So, Link... I guess this is... Good-bye."

"Yeah. Good-bye, Eliwood. I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you." In an instant the two men pulled away from each other before Eliwood quickly strode out of the room, not registering the peeping angel in the doorway as he made his way out to find the doctor in charge of Roy, tears running down his wrinkled cheeks as he went.

Pit's heart went out to Eliwood, but his attention returned to Link and Roy when he remembered why he'd come here. He was surprised to see Link walk over to the comatose Roy and plant a soft, short kiss on his pale lips before he pulled back, smiling sadly. "It's been too long since the last time we did that, huh, Roy?" Link chuckled, but it was choked off by a sob as Link's facade finally crumbled away and Pit saw Link for what he really was: a heartbroken boy saying his final good-byes to his lover. Link sniffled, fighting off tears as he took Roy's hand in his and put them against his heart. "I spent all day trying to collect my thoughts before I came here, but now that I'm here I have no clue what to say. There's so much I'd like to tell you right now, but I know that I could have months to talk to you and it wouldn't be enough. So I guess all I can really say is...I love you, so...so much. I'll never be able to emphasize that point enough. Those three years we spent together were the happiest in my entire life, so when you were nearly killed fighting that asshole...it...it destroyed me. I couldn't imagine living without you. I know, you'd want me to move on, but...I don't know if I can...I really don't know how I'm going to be able to go on, knowing that I'll never see you again. You were my entire world, and now you're just leaving me behind..." Another short sob escaped Link's lips as he gently lowered Roy's hand back onto the bed. "I should get going. My ride's going to get pissed and come looking for me soon. Can you believe, I actually went out and bought you a present because of him? I think I'll give it to him, though. Sorry, Roy, but the nurses here seem kind of shady, and besides, he's an angel. Literally. Maybe even the one who'll take you to heaven..." Link leaned over once again, whispering softly, "Thanks for all the wonderful memories, Roy. I love you," before he claimed his boyfriend's lips once more, this time for nearly a minute before he pulled back, adding in brokenly, "Good-bye..."

Link turned from his boyfriend, unable to fight the tears anymore and unwilling to try as he walked hesitantly out the door, toward the elevator, his blurred vision protecting the angel from detection as he clambered down the stairs quicker than he'd climbed them, fighting off his own tears as he hurried to beat Link to the foyer. He'd followed Link hoping for answers; all he got were more questions. What exactly had Roy been to Link? Why did Eliwood and Link seem to hate each other? What had happened to put Roy in that coma? Was the friend who'd died in Peach's story actually Roy, and if so, why did she lie about him dying?

Relief flooded through Pit's body when he arrived in the lobby to find it sorely lacking in pointy-eared blonds, and he put on the best smile he could as the elevator doors opened and Link stepped out, looking puffy eyed but otherwise showing no signs that he'd just been forced to give his final good-byes to the apparent love of his life. Pit's heart couldn't take it, either the guilt of lying to Link or the burden of knowing Link was bottling his emotions to appear strong to the angel. So, when Link forced a smile of his own, muttering softly, "Hey. Ready to go?" it was like a dam had broken inside the angel.

"You don't have to pretend for me. I followed you up. I saw everything," Pit muttered softly. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. I figured as much. You're pretty predictable like that."

"Do you want to...talk?"

Link smiled, and though it was small and weak, Pit could tell that it was genuine. "I think I'd like that. There's a park not that far from here. Interested?" Pit nodded, casually patting Link's back as he escorted the upset Hylian away from the place containing his soon-to-be-dead lover. Out of the corner of their eyes, the Smashers caught sight of Eliwood, a doctor, and several nurses making their way to the elevator, and Pit, without consciously thinking about it, looped his arm through Link's and threaded his fingers between the Hylian's, squeezing them for reassurance as they walked through the automatic doors and down the street.

When Link said the park wasn't far from the hospital, he wasn't kidding; the duo walked about two blocks before they came upon a decent sized duck pond lying between three jungle gyms, two tennis courts, two pools, two parking lots, and a small amusement park. As expected, the park was closed for winter, and there was no one else around as Link lead Pit, his hand still linked with the angel's, to a small bench in front of the pond, where they sat down, huddled together for warmth, and watched the waves lap against the rocks surrounding the pond on all sides. In the silence surrounding them, Pit could easily hear Link choking back sobs, his labored breathing making Pit's stomach churn with pity. Pit didn't like to see people cry, but watching Link attempt to "man up" and put on a strong face for Pit was just too much for the angel to bear.

"You don't have to hold it in. I won't think any less of you if you cry in front of me. "

Link shook his head weakly, "No...It's not that. I mean...you want some sort of explanation for what you saw, right? I'm sure you have plenty of questions for me. Can't exactly answer them if I'm a hysterical mess."

"I do, but...I can ask them later. You're in enough pain as it is without having to relive every painful detail of your relationship with Roy."

"No. Now...Now's fine. Maybe it's just the depression winning out over the meds, but I can handle it right now. When Mario finds out what happened, he'll double my dosage and I'll be higher than a fucking kite for weeks. Ask now."

"A-All right," Pit glanced down at the bench, finally noticing for the first time that he was holding hands with Link, but not doing anything about it as he said calmly, "I guess...I want to know everything. Peach told me that you'd lost someone close to you and that you'd closed your heart off to protect yourself. She told me she couldn't give me all the details, and I know that she was lying, so I want the truth."

"She calls that patient confidentiality?" Link smirked, and Pit detected a hint of pleasure in his tone, "She actually wasn't lying to you-not consciously, anyways. The only people who were aware that Roy was still alive were Mario, Eliwood, me, and my doctors. Peach didn't know that Roy wasn't killed, but she was still my nurse while I was recovering, so she was sworn to secrecy about the details of my condition."

"So, what really happened to Roy to put him in..." Pit's voice trailed off as he saw the sorrow return to Link's visage. He felt like an idiot, bringing it up again like that.

"Five years ago...today, actually, we had a special day of Event Matches where we had to take on challenges with certain rules. Sometimes there was a time limit, or we had to only defeat a certain character, or only one of us was allowed to take on a task...There were...fifty-one of them...I think. I remember, I was in a fight where I could only use explosives, another one where I had to defeat a shadow copy of myself twice with only two lives, a third one where I was in a list of six opponents taking on the challenger, a fourth one where I had to fight Ganondorf while making sure Zelda stayed alive, a fifth one where I went one-on-one with Marth, and a final match where I had to fight a younger incarnation of myself with three lives each."

"You remember all of that after five years?"

"It was a pretty memorable day. I was psyched up because Roy had proposed to me the night before after we'd been dating for two years. Even though I lost four of those matches, I was absolutely bubbly. After everyone had taken on their specific matches, there was this final battle where we took on both Master Hand and his brother, Crazy Hand. I remember being so pissed off because of Crazy Hand's name the first time I heard it-"

"Because you're a lefty, right?"

"Oh, so you noticed that," Pit smiled, and once again, there was a small smile gracing Link's face. "But, yeah, that's why. The match was set to end once someone had defeated both hands, and everyone was welcome to try it out. Falco was actually the one who beat it in a little over five minutes. We were all so relieved; we figured it was the end of the battles and we could finally get to celebrating Valentine's Day...Then, Mario unveiled the final challenge; an all-out battle against Ganondorf, a pokémon named Mewtwo who'd been in the tournament back then, and Giga Bowser, with three lives granted to everyone. Giga Bowser was different than he is now. He wasn't like the real Bowser at all. He was a monster created by Master Hand just for the Event Matches. All he knew was that he wanted to destroy every opponent who came his way. Bowser was pissed when he saw him, so he went first. The fight was barely over a minute long before Bowser's lives were used up. He'd barely grazed Giga Bowser at all. It was the same way when everyone else went up against him. We couldn't win. We all tried again, and we got the same result. Captain Falcon came the closest out of anyone. He managed to kill off both Ganondorf and Mewtwo, and he had Giga Bowser down to his final life before he was sent flying with a meteor smash and lost. Then, Roy...stupid, cocky Roy...decided to give it one final go, and by some strange miracle, he actually won. He had two hundred percent damage, and there were several times when Giga Bowser almost knocked him out during their final lives, but that idiot actually _did_ it..." Link choked back a sob, and Pit realized, with a sinking heart, that this was where the story would turn ugly.

"Link, if it's too hard for you to recall, then don't do it. I think I know what came next."

Link shook his head, a few tears managing to escape and trickle down his cheeks, "No, Pit. I-I'm...I'm fine. I'm not nearly done," Link sniffled, turning away from the angel as he continued, "The crowd went _wild_ when the match was over. Mario immediately named Roy the undisputed champion of Super Smash Bros. Melee, and I remember...He found me in the crowd and yelled out, 'How's your future hubby lookin' _now_, Rinku-kun?' He was pretty dorky that way. He started to walk out of the main arena toward the showers, and then...Giga Bowser got back up and attacked him. Roy had his back turned and wasn't ready...I saw a claw grab Roy around his torso and lift him up high into the air...and...R-Roy...I heard him scream my name just before Giga Bowser threw him onto the arena floor...and his head cracked open...and all the blood..." Link paused in his account, and Pit gently eased over to him, wrapping an arm around the broken hero as he covered his mouth with his hand, trying to muffle his cries but unable to fully bottle them anymore. "Everyone p-panicked..." Link hiccuped, trying to finish his story before he completely lost control, "M-Master Hand, Mario, and G-Ganondorf kept Bowser from hu-hurting anyone else...Marth held me back from entering the are...na...I heard sirens coming up...A-After that, I can't remember anything that happened that day...The next thing I remember is crying myself awake the next day..."

"You had no clue Roy was still alive, then?" Pit asked softly, receiving a shake of the head as a reply.

"I didn't find out for a long time. I'm not even sure how long I remained at the mansion. I lost d-days at a time for no reason...I'd wake up at night crying for Roy and find out I'd been asleep for an entire day...Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. One morning I woke up, numbed myself with sleeping pills, and stabbed myself in the gut with the Master Sword. Isn't that st-stupid? If I'd had half of my brain left in my head, I'd have known that the best way to go would have been to stab my chest or sever an artery. Instead I ended up lying half dead on the floor for nearly an hour before Marth came to check up on me, saw me on the floor, and drove me to the hospital," Link smiled bitterly for a moment. "Looking back on it now, I suppose it should have been obvious that Marth had a crush on me. He told the doctor that I'd gotten hurt in the tournament, and he made sure that I was willing to seek help before he took me to the psychiatric ward to get admitted. He was also my most frequent visitor, and he came back every two weeks despite me threatening to kill him a few times. That place made me paranoid as fuck, especially since I was on 24/7 suicide watch and had doctors and nurses passing by to check on me every ten minutes."

"How long were you there, exactly?"

"Two years," Link got a little sick enjoyment out of seeing Pit's jaw drop open. "After analyzing me long enough, the doctors finally decided I was healed enough to begin my return to society. They sent me to a crisis center with some antidepressant called paroxetine where they finally decided to spring on me that Roy was alive, but he'd been in a coma ever since the accident and wasn't likely to wake up. I think it was just a test to see how I took the news; I was stuck at the center for another year before I was released. I was handed over to Mario because he was a doctor and he could take care of my refill for me, but I wasn't allowed to visit Roy yet. It was something about supressed memories surfacing and causing me to regress. I remember feeling pissed off at everyone, so I guess that was probably right around the time I started distancing myself from people. I turned all the pain I felt at being kept from Roy into hatred toward everyone around me for not being Roy. Even when I was finally allowed to see Roy a year later, all it really did was make me hate everyone for being unable to do anything for him. It wasn't long after that when the Brawl tournament began..."

"...and now, here we are, almost a year later," Pit muttered. "That's...crazy."

Link finally lost all self control. Eyes watering anew, the Hylian hero slumped over on the bench, burying his face in his hands as heart wrending sobs shook his worn out frame, all of the sorrow he felt over the death of the single most important person in his life refusing to stay bottled up any longer as it all came pouring out of Link's body in the form of incomprehensible mumbling and thousands of tears. Pit had never seen Link look so fragile before, and it absolutely scared him. Was this really the same man who'd cursed love and everything having to do with it that very morning?

_'This is the real Link...A scared, heartbroken man who just watched his true love die...'_ Pit thought sadly as he helplessly watched Link sob. Pit's mind was screaming for him to do something more to comfort the distraught Hylian than just hold an arm around him from a distance, but he knew there was nothing he could say or do that would make Link feel any better. However, Pit's nurturing instincts as an angel kicked in and he did the only thing he could to offer Link some comfort during this desperate moment in his life. Easing his hand away from Link's, the angel gently turned his friend toward him, using the arm already wrapped around Link to bring both of them closer to the center of the bench before he wrapped his other arm around Link's back, his hand easing Link's head against the angel's chest before Pit lowered his face into Link's hair, muttering through the sweetly scented, soft locks, "It's okay, Link. Let it all out. I'm not going anywhere. You can cry as long as you need to. I'm here for you..." Pit felt the Hylian's hands move away from his face, instead clutching onto the angel's upper arms as the sobs increased into earth-shattering wails of despair. Pit gently carressed his dear friend's back, sometimes also running a hand through his hair as he continued to whisper, "Shh... That's it. Let it all out. I've got you. You're going to be all right. Just let it all out..."

Pit wasn't sure how long he spent comforting his friend before he'd finally let all of his pent up sorrow out, but by the time Link had calmed himself down, the street lights had begun to come on all across the city, meaning it was nearly five-thirty in the evening, and only half an hour before Peach's Valentine's Day party would start. Link slowly pried himself from the angel's gentle hold on him, wiping at his eyes with the sleeve of his coat and trying to erase any trace of his previous breakdown. Even though Link had been crying, Pit was sure that there was a different reason behind the light pink tint in his cheeks as he muttered, "Thanks. That was...really embarrassing..."

"No, it wasn't. You were upset for a very good reason. I'd have been worried if you _didn't_ cry," Pit smiled, and Link turned away, his blush a few shades darker.

"Not that...The way that I clung to you...That was embarrassing."

"You needed a shoulder to cry on, didn't you? I'd like to think that you'd have done the same thing for me if our roles were reversed."

Link chuckled, "Actually, until a few minutes ago, I would have left you high and dry. You were actually my least favorite out of all of the newbies. The first time I saw you, I thought for a split second that you were Roy back from the dead. Then, when I realized you weren't, I hated you instantly. There were plenty of things about you that reminded me of him, but the things that made you guys different really pissed me off."

"What about now?"

"You're okay, I guess. For a brunette."

"Oh, so it's like that. Gingers are more your thing," Pit rolled his eyes before he took Link's hand again. The Hylian didn't stop him. "I wasn't asking about that. I meant would you do the same thing for me that I just did for you now that we seem to be friends?"

Pit was rather upset that Link seemed to be putting some serious thought into this before he finally answered, "I _guess_ I would..." Pit wasn't very satisfied with that answer, but it was better than nothing. "_Except..._" Link added, "you can see them again when you return home, so you probably wouldn't be sad."

"I resent that! Just because I live in the spirit world it _doesn't_ mean I wouldn't be upset if someone I care about on Earth dies! Take when you die, for example. Sure, I'll get to see you again, and _yes_, I know that you'll be super happy because you'll be with Roy again, but that doesn't mean it won't make me feel sad to know you'll never come back to Earth."

"Still...You can see them again. I can't. For all I know, you'll go back home _tonight_ and _try to hit on my man_. _Ugh,_ and he told me once that he finds brunettes adorable..." Link supressed a shiver before he turned to glare at Pit, pointing a finger into the angel's chest. "You know what, if you _ever_ go back home, I will _kill_ you when you return."

"So, what, I'm not allowed to go back home ever again?" Link only held his glare. That was a definite yes. "Well, then, what do I have to do to prove to you that I _won't_ hit on your man? Date _you_ instead?" Pit said it as a joke, but the longer Link stared at him like he was insane with a blush spreading over his face, the more he realized the provocations of what he said.

Pit had just more or less asked Link out.

_Right after_ Link's boyfriend of seven years had died.

"Er, I'm sorry! It was a joke, all right? I'd never ask you out! Um, well not _never_, but...Y-Your boyfriend just died, and I know you need some time to yourself...but I'm not trying to come across as desperate! Actually, I wasn't coming onto you at all...But that's not to say I don't find you attractive...But I'm not...uh...er..." Pit's face was now as deeply red as Link's as he stared down at his lap, his naughty little mind replaying the earlier incident when he'd seen Link naked and his body's reaction. Maybe some part of him _did_ want Link to accept the offer, but not now, so soon after Roy's death. "I'm sorry. That was a really insensitive joke. I wasn't thinking when I said-"

"Okay," Link said, cutting Pit off from making a bigger fool of himself than he already had.

The angel was dumbstruck. "What?"

" I said okay. I'll do it. If you really want to, then I'll go out with you."

Now Pit was really dumbstruck, both by overwhelming joy and overwhelming worry. "Don't you want more time to yourself first? I mean, your boyfriend just died, and you need some time to mourn..."

"I've been mourning for the last five years. The only reason I didn't move on sooner was because I was afraid Roy would wake up someday and find out I wasn't faithful to him. I'm not saying I'm ready to have _that_ kind of relationship with you yet, but I'm as ready to move on as I'll ever be."

"Are you sure?" Link nodded a little tentatively, and Pit threw his arms carefully around the Hylian's neck, pulling him in for a hug. A strange thought occured to him, and he chuckled as he said it, "Well, what'll you know? _You_ actually have a boyfriend to celebrate Valentine's Day with."

"You _are_ aware most relationships end the day after Valentine's Day, right?" Link replied, the slightest hint of a threat in his tone.

"Whatever. If you break up with me tomorrow, I really _will_ go hit on Roy, and you won't be able to do a damn thing about it."

"So, how long will it be until I _can_ break up with you?" Link asked. He was joking, of course. He'd never want to do something as cruel as date Pit out of a sense of duty rather than for love.

Pit knew as much and just smirked, "It won't be you breaking up with me, Linky dear. I'll drop you as soon as you start to get too old looking for me. I'm assuming you're already almost twenty, so I'd give us about five years or so."

"Oh, really? Well, for your information, _darling_, I'm already twenty-three."

Pit's jaw dropped. He pulled away from Link, taking a very detailed look at his new boyfriend. He looked like he could pass for a high school freshman. Pit was floored that Link could be a full-fledged, legal adult. "Twenty-three?"

"Yep, and I'd say it'll be another twenty-three years before I look even remotely like I'm _thirty_. Hope you don't mind dating an old pervert."

"Well, if you're aging _that_ slowly, then I'd wager a guess that you'll probably still look like a kid when you die, so if I pull some strings with Palutena, I could probably get you turned into an angel, too."

"In other words, I'm never getting rid of you."

"That's right!"

"Oh brother..." Link sighed. "And what'll you do if I see Roy, fall madly in love with him again, and dump your sorry ass to be with him for all eternity?"

"That won't be a problem. By the time you see Roy again, you'll be so madly in love with _me_ that you won't even notice him," Pit leaned in and clumsily touched his lips to Link's for their very first kiss. It was obvious that Pit had no idea what he was doing, since he pulled away barely two seconds later, but the spark it sent through both him and Link left both of them speechless. Link was absolutely floored that Pit had made the first move; Pit was surprised that he'd just given his first real kiss to a _man_. Both of them were surprised that Pit's simple little kiss had felt so _good_. For a long time, they sat there, faces barely an inch apart, staring into each other's eyes, until a squeaky little voice broke them from the spell Pit's kiss had put them in.

"What are you two _doing_?" Link and Pit both jumped, quickly scooting away from each other and looking up to find it was only Nana and Popo, the Ice Climbers. They tried to relax-these were just kids, after all-but the idea that they'd been caught kissing wouldn't let them.

"We could ask you the same thing."

"Peachy got worried when you two didn't come back, so she sent out a search party to find you. Seriously, what _were _you two doing?"

Pit opened his mouth to answer, but Link beat him to the punch, "We settled our differences and became friends."

"Really? That's great!" Nana cheered. Popo, however, wasn't going to let it slide.

"Why were you so close to each other?"

"Um...I was in a hurry to catch up with Link earlier, so I forgot my coat. Link was helping me stay warm." It wasn't really a lie; Pit had run out after Link without his coat, but between holding Link in his arms earlier and the heat travelling through him from the kiss, he'd barely noticed. Now that they were apart, though, Pit felt like someone was holding an ice pack to each of his appendages. He _really_ wished the Ice Climbers hadn't come along.

This answer satisfied Popo, who nodded his approval. "Okay. We're going back to the mansion to tell Peachy, then. You guys wanna come?"

Link and Pit glanced at each other, Link giving his own little nod before they stood up and followed the Ice Climbers back down the road. They couldn't help the tiny smiles that crossed both of their lips as they caught Popo weave his gloved hand around Nana's while Link grabbed Pit's hand, lacing his fingers back through the angels and stepping a little closer to him to hide their hands. Pit smiled, instantly feeling a little bit warmer as he rested his head on Link's shoulder, a watchful eye on the Ice Climbers to make sure they didn't catch the two men cuddling like that.

"I love you," Link whispered, squeezing Pit's hand to make sure he knew that Link wholeheartedly meant it.

The angel giggled, making sure the Ice Climbers weren't watching as he squeezed back, whispering, "I love you, too."

Link smiled, leaning down and kissing the top of Pit's head before he glanced back at the hospital. To think, five years ago he'd lost the love of his life on Valentine's Day, and now, on Valentine's Day, he'd found new love in an _angel_. It still hurt to know that Roy would never come back, but maybe, just maybe, Link would be able to manage without him.

He fingered the present he'd bought for Roy in his pocket, briefly glancing at Pit before he left it alone. It could wait just a little while longer, couldn't it?

After all, according to Pit, they were going to be together _forever._

_**Valentine's Day-2011**_

__Nervousness ate at Link like a starving animal as he paced back and forth along the side of the pond, briefly glancing down at the watch Pit had bought him for Christmas to see that it was only 11:47 in the morning before he resumed pacing. Pit still had another thirteen minutes before he was technically "late" for their date, but the wait for the angel was becoming more than Link could bear. It reminded him of their first official date the day after Valentine's Day two years earlier, when they were still trying to keep everyone else in the dark about their new relationship; they agreed to meet up outside of the restaurant at six p.m., but Link, paranoid about something bad happening to Pit, had arrived half an hour early and continually called Pit to make sure he was all right until he finally showed up, on time, perfectly unscathed. Link had loosened up a lot since then, but whenever their anniversary rolled around, Link would return to his paranoid self.

Their first anniversary, it hadn't been so bad; Link had managed to convince Pit to stay at the mansion with him where they finally consummated their love. Link learned two things that wonderful day: after always being the uke with Roy, being on top felt _fantastic_, and Pit _really_ liked his sex _rough._ Link didn't know angels were even allowed to _think_ some of the things Pit had been screaming...

This year, however, Pit had decided that they should go out for their anniversary, but a few days earlier, Pit had been scheduled for a five minute battle against Ike, Olimar, and worst of all, Bowser for eleven in the morning on Valentine's Day. Link had spent the entire morning shaking until it was time for the match, where he discovered, much to both his and Pit's intense relief, that Mario had removed Smash Balls from the items list for the entire day to prevent Bowser from transforming into Giga Bowser and recreating the events of the Melee match seven years earlier. Ike came out on top of the match, with Pit trailing him by one point, Bowser by three, and Olimar by four. After the match was over, Pit shooed Link away to wait for him in the park while Pit got a shower and changed clothes, promising that he'd be there by noon.

Which brings us to Link, nervously pacing back and forth in the park, constantly checking his watch and looking around for his angel. Even he wasn't sure why he was so nervous; Pit was immortal, after all. If Bowser were to exact some kind of revenge on the angel like Giga Bowser had exacted on Roy, it wouldn't kill him and his recovery would be quick. He tried to remind himself of this, but it only made his condition worse. He did realize, however, that he was nervous because it had been during their second anniversary that Roy had been hurt, and that, he realized with horror, this was both his second anniversary with Pit and the second anniversary of Roy's death. Two bads stacked against one good. The odds seemed to say that there was something unlucky about second anniversaries...

"Hello...? Link? Are you there?" Link jumped, realizing, with a tiny laugh, that he'd just "spazz dialed" Pit, as the angel liked to call it when Link would subconsciously call to check up on him whenever he was worried about Pit.

"Um...Hey. Sorry. I guess I did it again..."

"I noticed. I just got into flight, so I'll be there in a few minutes. Don't worry so much, okay, Rinku-san?"

"But that's my job, Pitto-kun," Link said with a small smile. "All right. See you soon. Love you."

"Love you, too. Bye."

"Bye," Link flipped his phone closed before he turned and sat down on the very bench he'd sat on with Pit two years earlier, and about five minutes later, Link saw Pit slowly appear on the horizon before he dropped down on the sidewalk running behind the bench and walked over to Link, lifting his chin and planting a quick kiss on his boyfriend's lips before joining him on the bench. Link smirked. They seemed to have roles divided up between them: Link was the worrywart seme who was always the first one to say "I love you" while Pit was the cool-headed, hardcore sex loving uke who instigated the kisses. It was rare for them to swap roles, yet after two years, their love was even stronger than it was when they first kissed. Link wasn't sure if it was because they'd come to understand each other perfectly or if they were just soul mates, plain and simple. Either way, there was one thing Link knew for sure: his relationship with Roy paled in comparison to what he had now with Pit, guilty as it made him feel.

"What are you smiling about?" Pit asked, breaking Link from his reverie.

"Oh, nothing," Link answered, wrapping an arm around Pit and pulling him back against his chest. "Just thinking about us. Wondering where you plan on taking me. Stuff like that."

"And what's all that thinking telling you?"

"It's telling me I'm going to _love_ torturing you like this," Pit cocked his head to the side while Link devilishly grinned, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a jewelry box. It was too big for its contents to be an engagement ring-much to Pit's chagrin-but he was very interested in it, all the same. "I suppose you don't remember my conversation with Roy about buying him a gift but deciding I should give it to you."

"Oh...Yeah, actually. I do. You said you weren't giving it to him because you thought the nurses were kind of shady and that it would be a better gift for me because I'm an angel...I'd been meaning to ask about that ever since we started dating, but I figured you threw it away, so I kept my mouth shut. I take it this is the gift for Roy, then."

"Nooo. It's the gift for _you_. The gift you will like but hate all at the same time."

"I'm almost afraid to ask..." Pit held out his hand and Link handed him the box. Link could hardly contain himself as Pit opened it to find a gorgeous silver snowflake necklace with a tiny yellow gold bow at the snowflake's center with two little crystals at its own center. "Oh, Link... It's beautiful...Why would I hate this?"

"Here ya go!" Link said, handing Pit a little card. The angel tentatively took it, and as he read it, Link couldn't help but laugh as he saw Pit's expression turn dark over the cute little verse:

"_A Snowflake is an Angel's Kiss"_

_"It's often said that snowflakes fall_

_From angels who have kissed_

_While Floating in the heavens_

_Over winters magic mist"_

"By the way," Link added, "the bow at the center...if you look at it close enough, you'll see that it's actually two angels kissing. The crystals are their heads."

Link knew he was about to get an earful as Pit turned to him, looking absolutely pissed as he glared at his lover before he hissed out, "What...the hell...is this?"

"Oh, don't you...like it?" Link asked, knowing Pit was too pissed to detect the sarcasm or realize Link was egging him on.

"Of course I don't like it!" Pit screamed, "You _know_ how I feel about garbage like this! Who the hell are you humans to claim you know everything about angels without having met one? It's stereotyping! It's racism! It's-" Pit reread the card before he ripped it into tiny little pieces throwing them up into the air to scatter on the wind, "It's just _horrible_! Where the _fuck_ did you find this filthy lie?"

"A little jewelry store in that Christmas shop I took you to. I bought it for Roy, remember? I didn't know it would find its way into _your_ hands. Honest..." Link smiled, knowing perfectly that Pit was so angry that he'd _never_ remember that Link had been planning to give it to Pit for two years now. Pit always got this way when he saw a human's ideals about angels, and it was Link's one evil delight to provoke his boyfriend whenever possible. That was why he'd done all kinds of cruel things to Pit, from making him watch _Charmed_ with its wingless "whitelighters" (guardian angels for witches) to introducing him to movies like _Angels in the Outfield_ (both of which Pit had liked, but that didn't stop him from ranting about humans shaping angels to fit their stereotypes).

Pit was fuming; Link could practically see steam billowing out of his ears. "I _demand_ to know who makes these things."

"I don't know, actually. I looked it up online, but the computer froze before I could get anywhere."

"Then, we'll find a computer that works! I won't rest until I find the scum that wrote these slanderous lies and bring them to justice!" Pit was on his feet, holding a fist up in the air like a super hero making his big speech.

_'Oh brother...'_ Link thought with a roll of his eyes. _'Time to step in before he actually hurts someone...'_ Link grabbed Pit's other hand, yanking him back down to the bench and turning him to face him. "Let's take a moment to think about this before you go on a killing spree. Do you know for certain that snowflakes don't come from angels kissing in the heavens? Have you, with your own two eyes, actually seen two angels kiss and produce nothing from it?"

"N-No...But that doesn't automatically make _them_ right!"

"So, let's do it. _We'll_ go check it out."

"The two of us?" Pit seemed to be recomposing himself. If he was still totally pissed, he'd be dragging Link to Skyworld by now. "Link...I don't think that would work. You're still mortal. That..._thing_ says snowflakes come from _angels_ who have kissed, not an angel and a mortal. Besides, I'm not allowed to take you to Angel Land before your time. Who knows what would happen to us if Palutena found out?"

"What are you talking about? For one thing, you're Palutena's personal bodyguard. I'm sure she'd be willing to make an exception for her favorite angel. For another thing, I'm not technically an angel yet, but you said you were working on getting me angel status when I die, so I think a full-fledged angel kissing a someday-to-be angel would work. So, what'll it be? Will you break a few rules to test this thing now, wait until I die, which would mean that, during the wait between now and then, these things could come to rest on the shelves of every jewelry store in the world, or will you just let this thing slide so that every night I recite this verse to you while you sleep, filling your dreams with the torment of regret."

"Isn't there another choice?"

"Well, you _could_ go kiss some other angel, but if you do that, I'll split town, never to return, and you'll see it on the news that they found my corpse in a crack house with my wrists slit and the verse written on the wall with my blood."

"In other words, no, those _are_ my only choices," Pit sighed, leaning his head back against Link's shoulder and looking up into his boyfriend's marine blue eyes. "Were you always this cruel to Roy?"

Link just smiled, clearly enjoying the torture he was putting his beloved angel through. Usually, he stopped at teasing the angel, but every now and then he used his own death to blackmail Pit either into or out of making certain decisions. Pit wasn't sure if Link would be catagorized as a masochist or a sadist when he got into torture mode, since he often got this happy but scary look on his face when he talked about dying, a look like he he was wearing right now.

Finally, after a few minutes of silent contemplation, Pit answered, "Fine. I'll go ask Palutena if I can take you up to Angel Land. Do you think you can go for five minutes without being able to spazz dial me?"

"I think I'll manage somehow. Hurry back, okay?" Pit leaned his head back, pulling Link's down for a quick kiss before he stood up, spread his wings, and made a beeline for the sky.

Without Pit at his side, Link's anxiety about his angel quickly returned, but it was put to rest only a minute later when an excited Pit floated down to him, a huge grin on his face as he took Link's hand. "I told Palutena about the necklace and she was so angry that she's letting us try it out, no questions asked! Her only restriction is that we do it in one of the lower islands of Angel Land so the other angels don't catch us. Isn't that great?"

"And you found all that out in under a minute?"

"I know, right? Now come on! Before she changes her mind!" Pit hoisted Link up into the air, wrapping his arms protectively around his lover before returning to the sky. Link wasn't sure if Pit realized it or not, but the higher they went the warmer it got until it was hot enough that Link would almost swear that it was summer. He seriously doubted that the snowflakes myth would hold up in such heat, but he wouldn't tell that to Pit and risk him taking them back to Earth without even trying it out. After all, it wasn't like Link would get another chance to kiss Pit high above the clouds...Not until he was an angel himself, anyways...

After only a few seconds of flight, Pit and Link landed on a tiny island with no noticeable features to it just above the cloud tops. It was barely large enough to hold both of them without them having to be fully touching, but out of fear of being caught by the other angels, they made due, both of them flushing from the idea of what they were about to do. Neither one of them was quite sure how to go about doing it, so for a long time they just stood there in each other's arms, gazing at each other awkwardly.

"The poem said that a snowflake is an angel's kiss, right?" Link asked quietly. "So if we want to see a noticeable result, we'll probably have to either hold it a little longer than usual or..."

"...use tongue like we do in bed?" Pit finished, his face bright red. "Palutena would be furious if she found out about that one."

"I-It's purely scientific! We're making out to discover the correlation between angels kissing and snowfall. She can't get mad about that..."

"I guess so..." Pit put his hands on Link's shoulders, and they both tensed up noticably. Usually, Pit could kiss Link anywhere, in front of anyone, and think nothing of it, but up here, where his boss was omnipresent and able to watch his every move, he was so nervous he felt like he was back on that bench two years ago, getting ready to take the initiative and give Link his first kiss. He couldn't believe how awkward this all felt. "Umm...Link? Could you do me a favor and close your eyes? I really can't do this with you staring at me..."

Link blinked a few times, his own nervous mind barely processing the request. "Oh...Yeah. Sure..." Hesitantly, the Hylian's eyes fluttered closed, the loss of visibility making him shiver slightly when he remembered that with zero visibility he could easily take a wrong step and fall off the tiny island to his death.

Pit meanwhile, felt loads better knowing that his boyfriend was no longer judging his performance the way his boss was, and that gave him the confidence to lean forward, closing his own eyes as he puckered his lips...

...and completely missed Link's lips, kissing, instead, his chin. Link's eyes shot open, and it took all of his willpower to keep from laughing as Pit pulled back, his face bright red in embarrassment as he mumbled a small apology. "Maybe...we shouldn't do this after all."

"We're already here, Pit. Come on, try again. Just pretend we're back at the park or in your room. Imagine yourself anywhere but here."

"O-Okay. Close your eyes again." Link did as he was told, and Pit took in and released two shaky breaths, once again closing his eyes to block out the image of Angel Land. Instead he thought back to his first anniversary with Link, to the moment when Link laid him down on the bed.

_"Relax, Pit. I'll be as gentle as possible..." Link reached down to undo the belt holding up Pit's toga, and the angel panicked, holding it firmly down against his body and vehemently shaking his head._

_ "Link, I...I don't think I'm ready for this yet. I mean...I want to, I really do, but what if having sex is a sin and Palutena takes my wings?"_

_ "Well, then, I suppose I'll get to find out what it's like to have a cute little mortal lover, now won't I?" Link trailed kisses along the angel's jawline, turning the brunette into putty in his hands. Pit let out a weak little moan as Link removed the belt, slowly sliding away first the toga, then the muscle shirt and shorts underneath of it, leaving Pit vulnerably naked beneath him while Link removed his own belts, tunic, and other assorted clothes. Pit wasn't brought back to reality until he felt the bed shift beneath him and he looked up to see the Hylian's face above his, feeling a hand trailing gently through his hair. "Besides, we won't just be having sex. As long as we can't get married, this is the closest we'll get to a honeymoon night. By modern standards, we'll be making love, and there's nothing wrong with that. So, don't worry so much about what Palutena thinks. Just worry about what you feel, right now, in your heart."_

_ "Since when were you such a hopeless romantic?" Pit asked quietly._

_ "I don't know. I guess ever since I met you," Link smiled before, in a move that was completely out of character for him, he leaned down and gently ran his lips over the angel's._

_ The feeling was so new yet so welcome that it made Pit moan and whine out softly, "Link..." The Hylian lost no time taking that small window of opportunity to claim the angel's lips again, sliding his tongue into his sweet little lover's mouth where it began a sweet and seductive, yet clumsy dance with the angel's tongue._

_ It was the first time they'd ever deep kissed, and it wasn't long after that when they first made love. Their first anniversary was the most magical day of Pit's entire life._

Pit rode those memories out as he lowered his lips to Link's, this time actually managing to catch his lover's lips and hold them together for several long, blissful minutes. Link moaned into the kiss, and Pit, just as Link did a year before, took the opportunity and slid his tongue into Link's mouth, slowly running it over his tongue before they began their dance once again, only now with much more experience than the first time. There was no Angel Land or test anymore...There was only Link and Pit, wrapped up in their expression of the love they felt for each other...

Unfortunately, all good things must eventually come to an end, and Pit weakly pulled himself away from Link, neither one of them unable to resist the whimper that escaped them as they were forced back into existing as two separate beings. They held each other's gaze for over a minute before the memory or where they were and why they were there came back to them. They each looked over the sides of the island for any signs of snow, but, seeing only the puffy white clouds beneath them, their test was currently inconclusive. No words passed between them as Link latched onto Pit and they descended back toward Earth, the drop in temperature making Link shiver as it went from being hot as summer, to warm as fall, and finally, to cold as the winter they had left minutes before. Pit dropped them next to their bench, taking a moment to look around for any signs of snow. Not coming up with any, the angel scoffed.

"Ha! I told you it was a bunch of bullshit! All of _that_ and not a single flake of snow!"

"Yeah, I guess. Sorry for provoking you like that," Link sighed, smiling contentedly at his lover. "So, now that that's out of the way, ready to go to this mystery restaurant you picked out?"

"No, actually," Pit turned to Link, a devilish gleam in his eyes, "I don't know about you, but after all that, I've got something much better than dinner on my mind. What do you say we celebrate this anniversary like the last one and save dinner for some other time?"

"Really? That's funny. I was thinking the same exact thing," Pit pulled Link into another kiss, one that was much shorter than the last one but just as sweet. Link felt himself melt when it was over. "I love you..." The Hylian whispered, meaning every word of it, as always.

"I love you, too..." Pit whispered back, taking Link's hand in his, fingers laced, as they walked back to the Smash Mansion.

Unbeknownst to both of them, a single snowflake fell from the heavens, landing on their bench before it dissolved away without a trace.

**The End**

**Special after note: If you'd like to see what Pit's necklace looks like, it's actually real. You can find pictures of it by looking up "A Snowflake is an Angel's Kiss." I even know for sure that Amazon is selling them for around $15.00 before tax. It was the original inspiration for this story when I seriously saw it in a little jewelry store in a Christmas shop when I was on vacation with my family in October, so I'm a little sad that it got smooshed into the end there rather than being the focus of this story. Well, please let me know what you thought of my little love fic. I personally, hope I never write a single chapter this long again.**

**Til Next Time,**

**Flock o' Seagulls**


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